We want to hear your ideas!
The NYS Canal Corporation is inviting input from the public on how to make the canals and trails even better so they can continue to be well-used and well-loved for future generations.
To keep up to date and find an upcoming event near you, join the project email list.
Help Shape the Future of the New York State Canal System!
NYS Canals 2050 — A Vision Plan for our Canals & Trails
NYS Canals 2050 starts a process to update the Canal Recreationway Plan, created in 1995, which sets out how our canals and trails are managed and used. The updated plan will shape a new strategic vision for the canal system.
The New York State Canal System spans 524 miles across many counties and through major cities, small towns, and rural landscapes. While it is best known for the Erie Canal, the system also encompasses the Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca and Champlain Canals and adjacent lakes. Alongside the waterway, the Empire State Trail provides a connection for cyclists and pedestrians across the system.
We’re looking for all New Yorkers to help make the updated plan a success! Between now and the completion of the project, the team will be conducting workshops, surveys, and public outreach to inform the new plan. Check this webpage regularly for information, updates, and ways to get involved.
Many Canals, One System
We know that the canals serve many different purposes for different people. At the heart of the team’s “many canals, one system” approach is the celebration of the various social, cultural, environmental, and economic functions the canals perform for New Yorkers nearby and visitors from around the world.
To reflect these diverse benefits and uses, this process aspires to understand the NYS canal system through six topics: The canals as…
1. Historic Asset
2. Recreationway
3. Economic Engine
4. Cultural Connector
5. Ecological System
6. Infrastructure
Project Timeline
This ongoing, year-long process started in January 2024 and is expected to conclude in December 2024. Along the way, the team will engage in four main phases of Listening & Learning, Envisioning opportunities, developing a Future Strategy, and finally Delivering the plan, as illustrated below.
Get Involved!
SHARE WHAT THE CANALS MEAN TO YOU.
- Thank you so much to all those who participated in the online survey. Your input is invaluable to the planning process and helps ensure that future decisions reflect the needs of canal communities and users. We truly appreciate your interest in this planning process, the Canal system, and the Canalway Trails.
- If you wish to share additional comments, please do so by emailing public.info@canals.ny.gov with the subject line “NYS Canals 2050 Plan.”
Sign up for the NYS Canals 2050 email list.
Receive project updates and announcements via email, including upcoming workshops or events and alerts when new materials are available on the website.
ⓒ 2024 – NYS CANALS 2025